TEMECULA, Calif., Feb. 13, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- An historic regional wine tasting in March has been expanded to include a dinner that matches an upscale menu with wines from vineyards from Baja California to British Columbia.
The Ultimate Regional Wine Tasting -- BC to BC on March 24 from 1-4 p.m. at Callaway Winery in Temecula is a great opportunity to sample wines from 14 different wine regions.
Event goers will have an opportunity to speak with regional experts and taste more than 100 wines that express the individual characteristics of each appellation
A companion event at 7 in the evening will give wine lovers a chance to enjoy the wine matched with innovative gourmet food prepared by Executive Chef E. Dennis van Rumund at the Pinnacle restaurant at Falkner Winery.
"The menu, which includes international dishes and flavors from the Mediterranean, Caribbean and Asia, is proof that wine goes with all kinds of food," said van Rumund.
"It will all be interesting," he promises. Each course will be paired with three wines from the regional tasting.
Start with roast duck empanada with Caribbean spices and enjoy an endive salad with Roquefort, Asian pear, toasted Georgia pecans, served with a walnut vinaigrette.
The fish course is ginger-encrusted opakapaka with a miso vinaigrette and is accompanied by jicama shiitaki mushroom slaw. Wagyu beef, America's answer to highly marbled Kobe beef, is served on roasted root vegetables and red fingerling potatoes.
Finish the meal with a dessert plate that includes white tea ice cream in a lemon shell, banana Foster challah bread pudding and Sicilian ricotta petite cannoli with pistachios.
Cost of the regional tasting is $58 per person. The dinner is $135 per person plus gratuity.
The Ultimate Regional Wine Tasting -- BC to BC, is the second year that the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association has hosted this remarkable event.
Participants include: Calaveras Wine Grape Alliance, Central California Winegrowers, Cucamonga Valley Vintners Association, Mendocino Winegrowers Alliance, Naramata Bench Wineries Association, Napa Valley Vintners Association, Paso Robles Wine Country Alliance, San Diego County Vintners Association, Santa Barbara County Vintners Association, Sonoma County Vintners Association, Sonoma County Winegrape Commission, Sonoma Valley Vintners & Growers Alliance, Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association and Wine Makers Association of Baja California, Mexico.
The Temecula Valley is the premier winemaking region in Southern California. Over the last decade, the number of wineries in Wine Country has doubled and more new wineries are in the planning stages. More importantly, the area's reputation for making fine wine is on the rise as local wines continue to win major awards at wine competitions that include well-known domestic and international brands.
For more information, call the Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association at 801-800-WINE or visit www.temeculawines.org